This Tiger's Secret
by Lisa Jane
Summary: The tiger growls impatiently in her mind, but only she knows what will allow him to sleep
1. Chapter 1

**This Tiger's Secret**

**Chapter One**

_All characters belong to Disney._

* * *

He'd done it, once.

He said that it was an early sixteenth birthday present from him, but she could never remember him ever giving her a gift. When she'd argued this point, he'd then simply said that he wanted to get in before the suitors arrived. He wanted the first bite.

It frightened her that she remembered so little, and what she did, seemed so unimportant now. Red and black and blue fabrics being ripped away, her innocence quickly following behind. She'd memorised the detail pattern of gold leaves on the ceiling, that she'd studied over his shoulder, trying to ignore the pushing of his body on hers, hands running over the mountains and into the abyss of her body.

She'd blinked at the searing pain through her body when her childhood had been thrown away, and had clamped a lid down tightly on the screams that had threatened to escape. She believed that he already had enough satisfaction.

And yet she remembers how warm those hands were, how controlled, how practised they were. And she remembers how he'd smiled at her strangely once he was done, and despite her emotions being hijacked and flung away from her, she had allowed the smallest of sincere smiles to greet him.

Her father enquired about the bruises on her face. She looked at the men in her life, and told him some feeble story about accidentally injuring herself. A simple man brought by simple lies, to hide complex secrets that are both wanted and needed to be kept.

And not once, did she cry.

*

But she wants to cry now, when her sweet, confused husband tries, with the tenderness and pure love that she thought the event should've been. Bless him, he would try, and each time, she would tell him that it wasn't his fault.

And then she'd turn her back on him, and cradle her knees to her chest. She'd let her teary eyes watch over the great sands, but never allow those tears to spill over.

He had told her that she was not allowed to give herself to another, because if she did, he would come and find her and show to her how he was her only one. And despite being trapped in a lamp in the middle of a never-ending desert, she was certain that he would return, either way.

He always did make good on his word.

The tinest part of her wanted to fill in the blanks of the past memory, and she knew that her husband could not complete it for her. Despite the fear and despite the pain, the pleasure's tiger was walking slowly and restlessly around her mind, and she knew what would allow it to finally sleep.

And she told the tiger, that it was only a matter of time.

For she would be waiting.


	2. Chapter 2

**This Tiger's Secret**

**Chapter Two**

* * *

It broke her heart, the knowledge that she was ending her marriage. It broke her heart that, when given a choice between having a caring, gentle and sweet husband, or a dangerous, cruel and sadistic predator, she actually chose the latter.

It wasn't because she preferred the latter, she tried to desperately tell herself; it was because she had to. If she didn't, and they continued on with their lives as they had, she would never be able to shake off the feeling of _him_ being around somewhere nearby. He would wait and watch somewhere until he grew impatient, at which point he would simply dispose of her husband, and make her his own.

And because the idea of being _his _filled her depths with a sick desire, the back of her mind called her a liar when she told herself that she was doing this because she had to.

But despite whatever she felt in that regard, she couldn't look at her husband in the eye when she told him to go, that things weren't working, and no, they could not try anything to fix it, whatever 'it' was. She could hear the sobbing break in his voice when he asked her what had changed, and she looked down, the tears raining down her cheeks and bouncing lightly on the polished floor. Shaking her head, she had no words for her husband other than begging him to go, and be safe.

It frightened her that her tears were for her husband, and not for herself.

She studied her feet through a film of anaesthetic water, as she heard the palace doors swing open – allowing the heat of the summer twilight rush into the great room – and swing shut again, enveloping her in the cool evening, the sudden change of temperature causing goose bumps on her skin to rise, making her wrap her arms around herself.

For a moment she stood, quietly, blinking away the last of her tears, a lone figure in the room. She was by herself, but not the slightest bit alone.

She walked quickly back to their... no, her chambers, her feet dragging themselves forward in a disgusted, guilty pleasure. She knew she needed to hurry; if she stalled much longer, she knew he would be angry, and that was the last thing she needed right now. She had sacrificed enough this evening.

Opening the door, she found no one else in the bedroom, at least, no one that she could see with a naked eye. And after taking a couple of steps into the room, she was grateful that she hadn't taken trust in thinking that she may have been alone, as she felt the air shift and wrap behind her, around his body.

She forced herself not to turn around.

"You've got what you wanted; are you happy now?" she asked carefully, her body shaking slightly with a struggle of emotions, her mind fighting the urges to both punch the older man in the face in hatred, as well as to press her lips hard against his in passion.

And the latter urge became harder to fight as she felt him step closer, then the soft pressure of his mouth against her neck. "I haven't got what I want, not yet, anyway," he murmured back, the familiar voice sending a chill down her body. "The question is, are you happy now?"

Before she was given a chance to answer, his arm snaked around her body, pressing her tightly to his own, touching in places where if they weren't wearing clothing, their skin would melt.

The tiger was becoming close to settling down, finally.

If she'd spoken, she would have answered him in the negative, because no, she wasn't happy.

She was something else entirely.


End file.
